Sand Sister
Ilustrator Yuyi Morales
Published by Amanda White
Hardcover | Pages: 32
Size: 10.5 x 0.5 x 11.25 Inch | USD: $6.99
ISBN: 9781841486178
Publication Date: March 1st 2004
Age: 5-6
ABOUT THE BOOK
When lonely Paloma goes to the beach and wishes that she had a sister to play with, the girl she draws in the sand comes magically alive, and at day’s end her parents give her the good news of a new baby on the way.
Videos
★★★ Reviews ★★★
★ “PreSchool-Grade 1–The power of imagination enriches a little girl’s day at the seashore. Paloma is an only child who, upon arriving at the beach with her parents, finds her contemporaries busy at play with their siblings. The lonely youngster draws a picture of a girl in the sand and, with the help of a magic rock, her Sand Sister comes to life for the day. Paloma and Sandy play pirates, search for treasure, and jump in the surf. The two even have time for a small disagreement but forgive one another just before Sandy disappears at high tide. The warm golds of the sand, the rich browns of the rocks, and the blue sea dominate the textured, acrylic illustrations. Though sad when told it is time to leave, Paloma is given wonderful news by her parents: she will soon have a real baby brother or sister. Pair this gentle story with Kevin Henkes’s Jessica (Greenwillow, 1989) for another tale of a young girl and her imaginary playmate.” –Maryann H. Owen, Racine Public Library, WI
★ “PreS-Gr. 1. This gorgeous picture book may remind some readers of “The Snow Maiden,” the wintry Russian folktale about a childless couple whose lives are brightened by a walking, talking snow-girl. White warms things with a summery beach setting and replaces the lonely adults with a little girl, an only child whose wistful sand-drawing of a playmate magically comes to life. The sand sister disappears after one glorious day, but this loss is tempered by exciting news from the girl’s parents: a flesh-and-blood sibling is on the way. Morales’ sun-drenched paintings, textured with swooping brushstrokes and dusted with magnesium-bright accents, interpret the tale with the same vigor and fantastical sensibility that distinguished Morales’ Just a Minute (2003), for which the artist won the 2004 Pura Belpre Illustrator Award. White’s text seems a bit pedestrian by contrast, but it will still speak to children, especially those who might need reminding about the joys of sibling relationships.” Jennifer Mattson